Scar Tissue
by sailor's delight
Summary: B/A, slightly AU, BtVS season 4/AtS season 1, Buffy is living in LA with Angel when she gets closer to the First Slayer than she ever thought possible
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This is slightly AU - Sometime in the beginning of AtS season 1 and BtVS season 4, Buffy and Angel got back together and she is now living in LA with him and Cordy and Wesley. The rest of the Scooby gang stayed in Sunnydale to deal with things there but Buffy frequently goes back to make sure things are in check. There is no Dawn (yet) and Oz has left Willow and she is starting to realize her feelings for Tara. Angel's soul is permanent - after getting back together, Buffy and Angel and everyone else researched and found out that the spell Willow used to restore his soul (the one Jenny was planning on using) had been rewritten by Jenny to make his soul permanent. As for Faith, she woke from her coma, had a little fun in Sunnydale then came to LA for Buffy and Angel and wound up turning herself in and is now in jail (pretty much the same as the show, but without the tension/fighting between Buffy and Angel).

Anyway...I hope that clears things up, let me know if it dosen't! This idea is slightly inspired by the BtVS season 7 episode "Get It Done", I wanted to further play with the relationship between the First Slayer and Buffy.

Enjoy! -sailor's delight

**Disclaimer: **Anything recogizable from _Buffy the Vampire Slayer _and/or _Angel_ belongs to the creators/writers of the shows, not me. The title is from the RHCP song "Scar Tissue"

* * *

**Scar Tissue – Chapter 1**

Buffy slid the heavy iron grate to the elevator closed behind her with a loud sigh. She rolled her shoulders in an attempt to loosen them and winced at how sore they felt. She dropped her small overnight bag by the kitchen table and slowly took off her jacket, letting out a little groan at the pain it caused her. Closing her eyes, she rubbed the back of her neck, trying to massage the knots out of it as she made her way to the bathroom for a much needed hot shower. Buffy wasn't really paying much attention to where she was walking so she almost jumped out of her skin when she ran into a solid chest.

"Hey, you're back, I didn't hear you come in," Angel said as he wrapped his arms around her tiny body in a hug. Buffy just groaned in response as she buried her head in his chest and melted into his cool embrace. She felt his chest rumble as he chuckled at her and rubbed his hand up and down her back. "Rough visit?" he asked with a strange mix of concern and amusement in his voice. His blonde slayer girlfriend had just gotten back from one of her frequent visits to Sunnydale to check on things and make sure the guys there had everything under control. He just felt her nod against his chest as a response.

Buffy was enjoying the feel of her boyfriend's strong arms around her tired body when she felt him place a few fingers under her chin and gently brought her face up so that she was looking into his dark brown eyes. "You know I don't like you going there alone," he told her. "I get worried."

Buffy just rolled her eyes at his unneeded concern. "I'm fine Angel, I can handle myself. I'm _supposed _to be doing this alone, that's kind of the whole point," she said a little more harshly than necessary.

She sighed as she felt Angel physically withdraw from her and say, "So you don't need me then?"

"Angel, stop it. You know that's not what I meant. It's just been a long weekend and a long drive home and I'm kinda cranky."

Angel eventually smiled down at her, seeing the truth in her words. He stepped behind her and held both of her tiny hands with his own and led her down the hallway towards the bathroom. He kissed the side of her neck and whispered in her ear, "Well then let's get you a little un-cranky, huh?" Buffy just smiled and let her boyfriend take the lead.

The next afternoon Buffy strode into the office in a _much _better mood than she was in last night. Her classes went well that day and her last one had been let out early. Wes and Cordelia were already there sorting through some paperwork. Wesley looked a little startled when he saw Buffy walk in but tried to pass it off. "Buffy! Don't you have class now?"

"She let us out early," Buffy said with a smile as she walked over to where they were sitting and looked through the papers being sorted.

"Oh, well isn't that nice. And how was Sunnydale?" Wes continued.

"Yes, how was our dear little Sunnyhell?" Cordelia asked with false enthusiasm.

"Just great, you know the usual. There was a couple of nests that had built up since the last time I was there, but it's all taken care of," Buffy answered them as Angel came out of his office. His face lit up when he saw Buffy there; he wasn't expecting her for a while longer. "Hey you," Buffy said with a smile as she walked over to where he was standing and stood up on tip toes to kiss him.

"Hey, I thought you had class." Angel asked as he rested his hand on the small of her back.

"Let out early," Buffy said with a smile. "So how were things here over the weekend? What'd I miss?"

"Oh, nothing too big," Wesley told her. "We cleaned out a nest of Swaloni demons that was occupying the basement of a shipping factory," he said with a little revulsion in his voice and Buffy heard Cordelia give an audible noise of disgust.

"Another Swaloni? Wasn't that the slimy thing down by the docks? The one that exploded like a piñata of goo when we killed it?" Buffy shuddered at the memory.

"Yes, but that was only a newborn. This was an adult colony."

"Oh lordy…" Buffy trailed off as she imagined the sight and behind her Angel winced as he remembered their weekend.

Later that night, Buffy and Angel strolled through one of LA's many cemeteries on patrol. Things seemed pretty quiet, just a fledgling or two that were easily taken care of.

"So I've been thinking…" Angel said tentatively.

"Really? Well that's a shock…" Buffy said sarcastically.

"Funny," Angel said with a smile. They stopped walking and he turned to face her and pulled her close to him. "How would you like to get away?" He asked as she looked at him puzzled. He ran his fingers through her silky hair and brought her face up to his in a kiss. "Europe. You'd love it there." Buffy's breath hitched as he said it and he kissed her lips again. "London and Ireland and Paris, it's beautiful." He kissed her again. "Portugal." Kiss. "Spain," he whispered into her lips before kissing them. "Greece and Italy." Kiss. "You'd love Rome, it's amazing."

Buffy looked into his eyes. "Angel," she said breathlessly. "You can't be serious."

"Of course I am. You're almost done with school for the year; wouldn't it be a great way to start the summer?"

"It'd be amazing," she said quietly. "But we can't just abandon our…jobs," she said gesturing to the graveyard around them.

"The guys here can handle it. LA survived somehow before we showed up."

Buffy just looked at him, a slight smile on her face and Angel smiled back at her, knowing he was getting through. "Just think about it okay?" he told her. "We can talk to Cordelia and Wes later." Buffy nodded at him and wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her lips to his. She pressed her tiny body closer to his as he moved his lips gently against hers, nibbling at her lower lip. Buffy reluctantly broke away when breathing became an issue and rested her forehead against his as she tried to calm herself.

Suddenly there was a low growl from somewhere behind Buffy and she rolled her eyes before saying angrily, "Oh, come on!" She turned away from Angel and whipped out a stake and saw two vampires before her.

The first one lunged at her and she easily avoided it. She got in a few good kicks and punches; the vamp wasn't very strong but he was quick. She saw Angel easily fighting the second vamp out of the corner of her eye so she wasn't too worried about him and could focus on her vamp. She got him knocked down on the ground and was about to deliver the fatal stake, but he suddenly shot up and sprinted across the cemetery and disappeared behind a sarcophagus. Buffy glanced back at Angel who seemed to have everything under control. Really, it just looked like he was playing with the vamp now; he probably could have staked him a while ago. Buffy rolled her eyes at her boyfriend and took off after her target.

After chasing him halfway across the graveyard, the undead track star seemed to be slowing down so Buffy was soon right on his heels. He slowed to almost a walk, looked at his surroundings and abruptly stopped in the middle of the cemetery. Buffy nearly collided with him, but stopped herself. She stared at the vamp's back in confusion and said, "You guys just get weirder and weirder," as she thrust her stake into his back and watched as he turned to dust. "That was-"

"Almost too easy?" came a raspy, heavily accented voice from behind Buffy. She quickly turned around and saw a short girl, more like a cave-girl really, crouched by a headstone. She was dressed in tattered clothing, some of it looking like fur, and had long dreadlocked hair with beads and shells woven in it. Her dark skin had white paint or clay on it in different markings and shapes.

"And you would be?" Buffy asked the girl, eyeing her warily. She didn't respond, just stared silently back at Buffy with pitch black eyes. She didn't need to say anything for Buffy to know who she was; she silently communicated with her. "You're her. The first slayer." The girl, the first slayer, continued to just stare at Buffy, who seemed to understand exactly what she was saying without saying anything, and couldn't tear her green eyes from the girl's black ones. The girl stayed crouched and moved a little to the side, still staring at Buffy. "You want me to want something from you," Buffy said, feeling a strange pull as she stared into the dark eyes of the first slayer. "Or maybe I want what you're offering? You are offering me something right…"

The first slayer let out a low snarl and said in her raspy voice, "Power." She took a deep breath. "Strength."

Buffy shook her head, trying to pull herself out of the power the first slayer had over her. "I think I'm strong enough thank you, but I appreciate your offer. Bye now." She turned around to walk away and try and find Angel, but was face to face with cave-slayer again.

"You won't want to turn this down," she said hoarsely.

Buffy took a breath to protest but the first slayer lunged at Buffy, who couldn't get out of her way fast enough. Buffy stumbled backwards a little when the first slayer ran into her. It felt like running into a brick wall. She was breathing heavily as she tried to clear her suddenly muddled mind, even though she hadn't done anything to be out of breath. She looked down at her body as if seeing it for the first time. She felt strong; really strong. Buffy looked down at her hands and could almost see the new power coursing through her veins. She hadn't felt this confident or powerful in her body since she found out she was the slayer.

She heard Angel coming long before she could see him. Her mind was still muddled and she felt a little groggy as Angel came into view. As soon as she saw him, a voice that was not her own sprang up in the back of her mind. _"Don't tell him." _Buffy didn't question the voice; she just looked back down at her hands as Angel approached her.

"There you are, did you get the other vamp?" he asked.

"Yeah," Buffy mumbled as she continued to look at her hands, turning them over.

Angel lowered his head as he tried to look her in the eye. "Hey, you okay?"

Buffy tore her eyes away from her hands and looked up at his face with a smile. "Yeah, I'm just fine."

* * *

Reviews are appreciated! I'll try and get the next chapter up ASAP before I go on vacation for a few days.


	2. Chapter 2

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Scar Tissue – Chapter 2

Buffy slowly opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings. She was somewhat surprised when she had to remind herself where she was. _"Angel's apartment, I should have known that."_ She noticed that she was alone in bed; Angel must already be upstairs in the office. Buffy also noticed that her mind was not as muddled as it was last night. _"Last night…"_ Buffy thought to herself. She knew that she and Angel went patrolling, and there was a vamp or two that they took care of easily. _"Too easily,"_ Buffy thought as she suddenly remembered. Someone or something had made her an offer. As clear as she was thinking this morning, the memory of what happened last night was still pretty fuzzy, and something in the back of her mind was nagging her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Buffy pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she realized how well rested she felt. She hadn't slept that good in a long time and her body had definitely benefited from it. She felt like she could dust a large nest of vampires without breaking a sweat. With a shudder, Buffy realized that she _wanted _to go out and find some ridiculously large nest and kill them all. "Don't go looking for trouble Buffy, that never works," she said to herself. _"Don't fight it Buffy, you can't deny what you were made to do," _a raspy, heavily accented voice told her. "I think I'll pass," Buffy mumbled to herself. She winced as she realized that she was having an argument with herself. Or with someone else? Buffy shook her head and got out of bed and started to get ready for the day.

* * *

"Jeeze Buffy, who picked out that outfit, Xena?" Cordelia said to Buffy, who was intently examining one of the axes lying around the office. Buffy pulled herself out of her trance and looked over at Cordelia, who was eyeing her warily. Buffy looked down at her outfit and was a little shocked herself. She couldn't really remember why she picked out the tight black pants and tight black tank top that were probably better suited for fighting than working in an office.

Buffy shrugged off Cordelia's comment and turned around when she heard a voice coming from the other side of the office. "Hey, you're up, are you sure you're feeling okay?" Buffy saw Angel coming out of his office and make his way over toward her.

Buffy looked at him, confused. "Yeah, I feel fine, great even." She added with a smile. "Why?"

"Well you kind of just passed out last night, and you slept pretty late. Later than usual I mean," Angel said, still looking at her intently.

Buffy furrowed her brows together, not clearly remembering going to bed last night. "What time is it?"

"Almost noon," Cordelia chimed in. Buffy was a little shocked at this. Sure she liked to sleep in, but not this late.

"You sure you're okay…" Angel asked again.

"Yes! I'm fine!" Buffy said, getting a little impatient. "What do we got for today?" she asked Cordelia, trying to change the topic, as Wesley walked into the office holding a folder.

"Well we still need to do some research on the Deluca case, although I really think that Mrs. Deluca is in no danger. The species of demon inhabiting her basement are very peaceful, I doubt they wish to cause her any harm. Maybe we can just persuade them to take up residence somewhere else." Wesley said and he placed the folder on the desk. "Good morning Buffy," he greeted when he saw her.

Buffy, ignoring his greeting, felt an unexplainable urge to kill something swell up in her chest as she heard Wesley describe the Deluca case. "Kill them," she spat out in a low voice that she didn't realize was hers at first. Angel, Wesley, and Cordelia all stared at her. Buffy snapped her head up and looked at them. "What? No, they're not doing anything wrong, let's not kill them," she said more to herself than to the others. She rung out her hands nervously and started to pace the office. She was suddenly very restless. "Wesley, give me something to do, anything. I think I'm just going a little stir crazy in here."

"Sure, okay, I can set you up with some books to research these demons, make sure they really are as peaceful as I think they are," Wes said a little nervously as he left the room to look for the right books.

* * *

That night, Buffy and Angel were yet again patrolling in the cemetery. Buffy was walking purposefully a few paces ahead of Angel, gripping a stake tightly in her hand. She was still in her all black clothing and had added a cropped black leather jacket.

"Buffy wait up," Angel called to her as he also quickened his pace to catch up with her. When she ignored him, Angel all but ran ahead of her, blocking her path. When he wouldn't move, Buffy looked up at his face, raising her stake a little.

"Excuse me, I have some vampires to slay," she said as she tried to get around him.

Angel just continued to block her path and Buffy continued to try and get around him. Finally Angel grabbed her arms, keeping her in front of him. Buffy rolled her eyes up at him. "What do you want?" she asked impatiently.

"What do I want? What do you want?" he asked her. When she looked up at him in confusion he continued. "What the hell was that back there Buffy? You went completely nuts on those vamps, when they weren't even attacking us."

Buffy tried to get out of his grasp as she said, "What do you mean 'what was I doing?' I was doing my job Angel, remember? I'm supposed to kill the vampires."

"What I mean is it's like you were looking for a fight. That can get you in trouble Buffy." Angel finally dropped his hands and after a moment Buffy started to walk away from him, muttering something that sounded like "Whatever," under her breath. Angel grabbed her arm before she could escape and turned her towards him. "Fine if you're going to be like that I'll just see you later at the apartment. I need to stop at the butcher's anyway, get more blood."

Buffy just looked down at the ground and mumbled, "You're a vampire…" to herself, like she was realizing it for the first time. She looked up at Angel with disgust in her suddenly very dark eyes.

Angel took a step back when he saw her eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Buffy was shook her head and started breathing very heavily and Angel noticed she was shaking a little. When she looked back at him, her eyes were back to their usual mossy green.

"I don't know," she said with worry in her voice.

* * *

The pair walked up the stairs to the office in silence. The light was still on which meant that Cordelia and Wesley were still there. As they got closer, they could hear bits of their conversation.

"Yeah like the way she wants to kill everything in sight?" came Cordelia's voice. "She's acting like-"

"Faith." Wesley finished for her. "Yes, I've noticed it too. I wonder if Faith's recent visit is causing her strange behavior."

"Or maybe Faith is working some wacky mojo from jail. Is that possible?"

"I don't think it is Cordy," Buffy said as she walked into the office behind Angel.

Cordelia jumped a little as she saw the slayer. "Buffy! We were just talking about-"

Buffy offered her a strained smile. "It's okay; I know what you're talking about. And I agree, I know something's up."

"Oh well that's good," Cordy said as she breathed a sigh of relief.

"I don't think this could be Faith," Angel said as he warily watched Buffy cross the room and stand by the window and look down at the street. She crossed her arms and hugged herself, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. "I mean, they don't exactly promote the use of magic in jail."

"Maybe she has someone outside working for her though, an accomplice?" Wesley offered.

"It's not Faith," Buffy said quietly by the window. She obeyed the nagging voice in the back of her mind telling her over and over not to tell them what she knew it really was. Buffy knew that she probably shouldn't be listening to strange accented voices in her head but something was telling her not to ignore this. "I don't know what it is, but I'm scared." If she had been facing the others, they would have seen her eyes turn dark and the little smirk on her face as she played the scared card.

Cordelia, in a rare moment of kindness, approached Buffy and said, "It's okay, we'll figure it out." She placed her hand on Buffy's arm, trying to comfort her.

When Cordelia's fingers touched Buffy's leather clad arm, she whipped around and glared at the brunette with coal black eyes. "Don't touch me, seer," she snapped in a voice much lower than her own.

Cordelia backed off when she saw Buffy's eyes. She held her hands up and said, "Yeesh, I'm trying this thing called being nice. Don't get all exorcist on me." Angel saw the muscles in Buffy's jaw flex and tense and he knew what was coming next. He lunged forward to block the punch that Buffy was sending Cordelia's way. Buffy switched her black glare to the vampire and suddenly whipped out a stake and thrust it towards Angel's chest. As quick as Buffy was, Angel was quicker and he swatted the stake out of her grip and it fell to the floor with a clatter. Buffy pulled back her fist and punched Angel in the jaw. He shook it off and in a blur, backhanded Buffy across the face.

She stumbled back and brought her hand to her mouth, breathing heavily. "Oh God, Buffy," Angel said as he moved towards her. She shook her head, as if trying to clear her thoughts and looked back up at Angel with fear in her now green eyes.

"What's happening to me?"

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**A/N: **Hope you liked it! I'm going on vacation for a few days so it might be a short while before I can update. Please review!!

-sailor's delight


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Anything recognizable from _Buffy the Vampire Slayer _and/or _Angel_ belongs to the creators of the shows and not me.

* * *

**Scar Tissue – Chapter 3**

"Hey guys look at this," Cordeila announced to Wesley and Angel as she stared at the page she was reading from a very old and dusty looking book. The three of them were in the office doing some heavy research after Buffy's little outburst earlier. As a group, they decided that something was definitely wrong with her and as a group they decided that they were going into research mode to figure it out. But it was just Buffy who decided that she needed some space and breathing room after what happened and she disappeared from the office before anyone could stop her. She muttered something about patrolling and getting out of here before she hurt anyone on her way out.

"This book has a ton of info on how slayers were made. Something about Shadowmen?" Cordelia said as she continued to look at the page. Angel and Wesley moved to stand in back of her and read over her shoulder.

"Yes, the Shadowmen. Legend has it that they took an ordinary girl and instilled the raw power of a demon within her. That girl became the first slayer," Wesley told them.

"Wait, so the reason Buffy is all super strong and stuff is because she's got demon in her?" Cordelia asked.

"Well over time the brutality of the demon diffused, leaving just the strength and skill in the slayers. But for the first few generations when the power was at its strongest, the slayers were brutal; they killed every demon and vampire they could without rest and worked completely alone."

"Hmm, sounds a lot like our little slayer…" Cordelia trailed off, glancing at Angel to see what his reaction would be. When he just stared in concentration with his brows slightly furrowed Cordelia continued. "So do you think that these Shadowmen came back for Buffy? Gave her some demon?"

"It's quite possible," Wesley said.

"It's the slayer. The first one, she's doing this to Buffy," Angel suddenly said. At the other's looks he continued. "Think about it; if it was the Shadowmen putting demon power in her, she would still be the same Buffy, just really, really strong and powerful. But she's acting like the first slayer. It's gotta be her."

"Oh jeeze, should we call Sunnydale?" Cordelia asked.

Angel and Wesley looked at each other before Angel spoke. "No, not yet anyway. We can't risk them coming here and leaving Sunnydale unprotected. If things get out of hand then we'll call."

* * *

In one of LA's cemeteries, Buffy stalked through the headstones quickly and quietly. The dark eyes of the first slayer scanned her surroundings, listening intently for any sounds. She heard something to her right and cocked her head in that direction, listening for more. She could distinctly hear the sounds of footsteps on the soft grass coming towards her. She stood where she was, perfectly still as a statue. Her fingers flexed around the stake in her right hand as she waited. When the footsteps were a few feet from her, the vampire sneered the word "Slayer" and continued to walk closer to her when she didn't turn around. When he was mere inches from her, Buffy whipped around and stared into the yellow eyes of the vampire. When he saw her black eyes, the vampire's grin fell from his face and he started to back away in terror. He murmured "Holy crap," as Buffy marched toward him and held up her stake, ready to plunge it into his heart.

As he backed away, the vampire tripped over a low monument stone and fell to the ground. When he realized that he was going to get it for sure, he tried to think of a way to distract, or at least stall the slayer.

"Why so alone, huh?" he wondered aloud. "No vampire lap dog tonight? Probably not a very good idea to be out here by yourself."

Buffy paused momentarily, confused as to why this scum was trying to have a conversation with her. "How is Angel anyway? You two are still together right?" When Buffy just continued to stare coldly at him he said, "Or not…" At this point the vampire realized that he was done for anyways so he just continued to babble on. "Well you know you're not half bad looking, for a slayer I mean. If you're into the whole vampire thing-" The vampire was cut off as he suddenly exploded into dust as Buffy plunged the wooden stake into his chest lightning quick. She turned around and listened for any other noises in the silent graveyard. When she didn't hear anything she started to walk toward the entrance of the cemetery with determination in her step. A slight smile played on her lips as she thought about what the vampire said to her. She whispered, "Angel…" as she headed in the direction of the office.

* * *

Back at Angel Investigations, Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley were still looking through the book that held the information on how the First Slayer was made.

"Look, the Box of Asari. It was the box that held the demon's power before they placed it in the girl. Maybe that can house whatever's in Buffy if we can get it out of her," Wesley said looking at a picture of the box in the book.

"But I thought that Angel said it _was_ the First Slayer possessing Buffy. If did have this box thing, wasn't it just for the demon? The First Slayer probably wouldn't want to go in it," Cordelia asked.

"But the First Slayer can't have a body anymore, she would have just been a spirit if she got into Buffy," Angel said.

"Exactly. I believe that the Shadowmen greatly underestimated what they were doing. The very first girl they put the demon in would be under its full control. They essentially possessed a young girl with the demon. She may have still looked human but she was far from it. The power and strength of the demon was passed on through the generations but its presence decreased exponentially until it finally disappeared," Wesley explained.

Cordelia still looked a little confused but shrugged it off. Angel glanced at her and then said to Wesley, "Right now we just need to focus on getting this box and getting whatever's in Buffy into it." He crossed the room and picked up his jacked and shrugged it on as he continued, "Cordelia, look for something in that book that might give us a clue on how to get the First Slayer out of Buffy. Wes, do you think you could start making some calls, see where that box might be, or if anyone knows where it is?"

Wesley nodded and said, "I know exactly where to start."

"Where are you going?" Cordelia asked as Angel started to leave the office.

"To try and find a slayer," he told her as he exited the office.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry it took so long to update and that this is so short, but I'm going to try and get the next chapter, which will be better, up soon! Please review!

-sailor's delight


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Anything recognizable from _Buffy the Vampire Slayer _and/or _Angel, _belongs to the creators of the show and not me.

* * *

**Scar Tissue – Chapter 4**

Angel descended into the dim apartment and shrugged off coat. The elevator came to a stop with a clang and he stepped out, slamming the metal grate closed a little harder than necessary. His search for Buffy had been unsuccessful and he was starting to move past being frustrated about this whole thing to downright worried. He knew that Buffy could take care of herself, but whatever this thing was that was inside Buffy…he didn't know what to think about that. He shuddered as he thought about how unpredictable the First Slayer would be.

He hung his coat over one of the chairs at the small kitchen table and planned on fixing himself something to eat (well drink, really) before maybe going out on a second search for Buffy. He turned around to go over to the fridge and was momentarily startled to see a petit, black clad blonde standing in the dimly lit hallway. It scared him a little when he didn't recognize the girl as Buffy right away. He had very good hearing and even though Buffy could be pretty quiet he could generally hear her in the apartment. The fact that he didn't hear her scared him a little but what really freaked him out was that he didn't smell her. As good as Angel's hearing was, his sense of smell was ten times better and if he didn't hear Buffy, he could _always_ smell her scent whenever she was near. When Angel looked at the girl in front of him he couldn't smell his girlfriend at all. She smelled strangely unfamiliar, like her scent was masked by something else.

"Buffy," Angel said quietly to her.

She took a few steps forward into the light and Angel's entire body tensed and he felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck when he saw her eyes. They were completely unrecognizable. Buffy gave him a smirk when she felt the tension in the air. She had her hands clasped behind her back in a seemingly innocent pose. "Hey, were you looking for me?" she asked quietly, trying to seem as Buffy-like as possible.

Angel eyed her warily. "Yeah, how are you feeling?" He was a little confused by her actions and wanted to see what her next move would be before taking any action himself.

"Better. A little tired though," she said moving towards him. Angel held his ground and continued to look at her. "Did you guys find anything?"

As Buffy, or whatever the hell she was now, continued to move closer to Angel, he could tell that this was not the girl he loved. "Yeah, we did. We know what you are. We know what you're trying to do. And we're gonna stop you."

With a frustrated sigh, the First Slayer dropped the Buffy Summers façade. "I'm doing what needs to be done," she spat out in a low, gravelly voice as she continued her advance on Angel. She brought her hands out from behind her back to reveal that she was holding a stake, which she held in front of her, ready to go.

"You don't need to do this," Angel told her, holding his ground.

"This should have been done a long time ago. How did _this_ even come to pass?" the First Slayer/Buffy said as she gestured between herself and Angel. "What Buffy Summers allowed to happen between you and her is a disgrace to the Slayer line. You represent everything that we were created for. She was created to kill the scum of the earth like you."

Angel shook off the harsh truth he saw in her words and tried another argument to try and stall the First Slayer as much as he could while he came up with a plan. "Why can't you just let it go? You of all people should understand and respect how the Slayer line works. You did your part, you died, and another slayer was called. You should get it and move on."

"Yes, that's exactly what happened. I died and another slayer took my place. It happens to us all and it will happen to your precious slayer. She will die and you won't. Another will be called. Will you fall in love with her too?" the First Slayer said with a sickening smile.

Hearing her say his worst fears, Angel finally had it with this creature that was taking over Buffy's body. He shot out a hand and knocked the stake out of her hand before she could blink.

There was a flicker of surprise on the First Slayer/Buffy's face but it was quickly masked by anger. "So that's how we're going to do it then," she said before she lunged at Angel.

Angel was able to block her attempts at first, but the First Slayer was a quick learner and soon picked up on Angel's fighting habits. She was able to block his blows and was swiftly overpowering him. With a sudden burst of energy Angel backhanded her across the face, knocking her to the ground.

The First Slayer groaned and closed her eyes. "Ugh, you should hear her, telling me to stop. SHUT UP!" She yelled as she held her hands up to her head. "It's never going to stop! Don't you _know_ that?!"

Angel stood over her and watched her in confusion. It was like Buffy was trying to speak to the First Slayer; like she was getting stronger in her own body. Buffy was trying to reclaim her body and it was taking away what little sanity the First Slayer still had. Angel took advantage of this and without hesitation punched the First Slayer directly in the side of the head, knocking her out cold.

"Sorry babe."

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	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Anything recognizable from _Buffy the Vampire Slayer _and/or _Angel_ belongs to the creators of the show and not me.

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**Scar Tissue – Chapter 5**

Angel watched as Buffy…no, the _thing_ that was taking over Buffy's body, groaned and slightly moved as she began to regain consciousness. He double checked the ropes tying her to the chair as Cordy watched in apprehension.

"You're sure that's tight enough?" Cordy asked. "The girl's strong enough without evil slayers possessing her."

Angel grumbled a little to himself and was glad he wasn't facing her so that she didn't see him roll his eyes at her comment. "Just find the passage in the book that tells us what to do when Wes gets here," he told her.

It turns out that Wesley did know exactly who to call and got in touch with one of his few remaining friends at the Watcher's Council in England. His friend was reluctant to help the slayer that had caused them so much trouble as well as the Watcher that was fired. After a very long phone call, Wesley's friend told him that they had many artifacts that the Shadowmen once possessed, including the box that once held the demon's power that was used to create the slayers. Wesley's friend was fairly certain that even though the First Slayer was possessing Buffy, this box would draw her out.

The only problem was the box was in England. When Wesley said that they could not wait for the box to be shipped, his friend told him that they could try using any box that was made for holding a demon or at least its power.

"Got it," Wesley said as he opened the door to the office and walked in holding a medium-sized, ornately carved box made of sturdy dark wood. "Ronald said that if we use any box designed for holding a demon possessing someone it might be enough to draw the First Slayer out of Buffy."

"So is this like that other box we used for the uh, Ethros demon in that little kid?" Cordelia asked.

"Yes, it's the same theory," Wesley answered.

"But it's not the one designed for the specific demon whose power was used for the slayers. How are we going to be sure it'll work…" Angel asked, trailing off, slightly disappointed.

"Ronald said that any box of this type would work, it just might be a little harder to coax the First Slayer out."

Angel just nodded and went over to stand near Buffy. "Let's just do this," he said looking at the unconscious slayer. Wesley nodded and gave the box to Cordelia and picked up the old book they had been using off the desk. He flipped through a couple pages before finding what he was looking for.

"'Spell to Eradicate the Power of a Demon,'" Wesley read from the book. "That seems to be what were looking for…" he trailed off. Cordelia opened the box as Wesley began to read the Sumerian text.

Angel looked down at Buffy and noticed that she was becoming restless the more Wesley read. She snapped open her dark eyes and started to breathe heavily. She looked wildly around the room and it dawned on her what the others were doing. She gave a wicked chuckle that reminded Angel how unstable she was.

"What a mistake your making…" she said in a raspy, almost sing-song voice. Wesley slightly paused, but quickly caught himself and continued reading, his voice a little louder. Cordelia eyed her cautiously and Angel's jaw tensed as he watched her. "Why do you think she let me in, huh?" This time Wesley did pause as Buffy continued. "She was ready for me. She wanted the power."

Angel just kept glaring down at her and said angrily to Wesley, "Keep. Reading." Wesley read again from the book, his voice a little wary. Cordelia took a step back but kept the lid to the box open. Angel knew that she was trying to distract them, get them to let down their guard so she could escape.

Buffy chuckled darkly again and said a little breathlessly, "Fools. You should have kept me around; the world needs me now more than ever." Wesley ignored her and kept reading. "You'll wish 

you had me when it gets bad. And believe me. It will." Wesley finished the passage, almost yelling, and Buffy took in a deep breath as a dark mist thrust itself from her body, throwing her back a little. It hung in the air for a moment and then shot straight towards the box that Cordelia was opening. She gave out a little shriek as she closed the lid on the cloud. Cordelia was thrown back into the desk but kept standing and held onto the box that was rattling a little.

Wesley placed the book down and went over to help Cordelia with the box. Angel barely glanced at them before looking back at Buffy. She was still tied to the chair, her head drooping and hair hiding her face. Angel approached her cautiously. "Buffy?" he asked in a soft voice.

Buffy stirred a little and brought her head up to look at Angel. Angel looked down into her watery, confusion filled green eyes. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her eyes and dropped down on his knees so his face was level with hers.

"Angel?" Buffy said, choking on his name a little. Angel reached up to brush a strand of hair out of her face.

"Welcome back," he said, trying to smile for her.

She looked around in confusion and then gasped as she remembered. "Oh god," she said breathing heavily. "I tried to…oh god, all of you," she said looking at Cordelia and Wesley.

"Shh, it's okay, it wasn't your fault. It wasn't you Buffy," Angel said reassuring her. He moved to untie her from the chair and help her up.

Cordelia visibly tensed when Angel helped her out of the chair and said, "Shouldn't we-"

"Cordelia," Wesley said cutting her off and silencing her. The two looked on as Angel guided Buffy into the elevator and descended into his apartment.

"Well that's just great. We almost get pulverized by a psycho-slayer and not even a word of apology," Cordelia said a little miffed. She dropped the box, which had stopped rattling, onto the desk with a thud.

Wesley, who had gone over to the bookcase to replace the book they had been using, said with a glance at her, "Give them some time. They have a hard few days ahead of them."

"Oh yeah, they'll talk, they'll fight, they'll kiss and make up. Typical Buffy and Angel show- did you say days? We have to put up with they're moping for days? She's back to normal; they'll be all googley-eyed in the morning as usual."

"I don't know Cordelia, Buffy's experienced something that had never happened before, or at least never been documented before. It might take a while for her to get back on her feet." Cordelia just rolled her eyes at this and tidied up the desk a little. Wesley continued talking when she didn't say anything. "Being possessed by a demon is…very much like getting a very bad cut." Cordelia looked up at him doubtfully but didn't say anything. "Bear with me," Wesley said. Cordelia shrugged and continued to clean up the desk.

"When a demon possession happens, it needs to enter your body, and your soul, to truly take you over, like what happened to Buffy. When this happens, your soul, your spirit, is...torn open, like a cut. If and when the demon is exercised, or the cut is stitched back up, the tear may be gone and closed, but there will be a scar remaining, so to speak. A scar like the one Buffy must have in her will take time to heal and fade, like any scar does. Although, like some scars, it may never fully fade."

"Great, so she's going to be messed up forever?" Cordelia asked.

Wesley tried to ignore her blunt comment and said, "Maybe, maybe not. Angel is probably the best candidate to help her now. There's not much we can do but give it time. Let the scar fade. Even then, she may never really be the same again. Possibly more distant, more hardened by the experience. She may always have the scar tissue."

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"Jeeze Buffy, what is this, the fourth suitcase?" Angel asked as he hauled the bag out of the elevator.

"It's the last one, I swear!" Buffy said with a smile as she stepped out of the elevator with a large purse over her shoulder that could be carried on a plane. She stepped closer to him and said, "Thanks" quietly as she brought her face closer to his. Angel just grunted at her and turned his face away. "Oh come on!" Buffy said laughing as she brought her hand up to his face and brought it back to her. "Let me thank you," she said gently. Angel finally cracked a smile and kissed her on the lips softly. The kiss that was meant to be a quick thank you was quickly heading away from that direction and the two jumped apart when they heard someone clear their throat.

"You know what Wesley? I'm glad we're not going," Cordelia said crossing her arms.

Buffy looked guiltily over at Wesley and Cordelia and muttered "Sorry" under her breath. A few weeks after the whole First Slayer mess, Buffy and Angel decided that a little time away was exactly what they needed and Angel made the plans for the European vacation that he wanted to take Buffy on. Buffy felt a little guilty for leaving Wesley and Cordelia alone to run the business for a month while they were gone, but she reassured them that her friends in Sunnydale were only an hour away and if things got really bad they could be on the next flight home. While Cordelia was a little jealous that Buffy and Angel were escaping LA for a European tour, Wesley agreed with them that this is probably exactly what they needed after the incident with the First Slayer. He told Cordelia that this would do wonders for Buffy's healing process.

After all their bags were in Angel's car (most of them Buffy's), the couple said a very brief goodbye to Wesley and Cordelia, gave them a list of the hotels they were staying at in case they needed to contact them, and were out the door.

Cordelia looked at the door they just exited all too quickly, huffed in anger, and said to Wesley, "Healing schmealing."

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**A/N: **Well that's it! Hope you enjoyed, please review!

-sailor's delight


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